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A study aiming to examine minor rehabilitation rates before and after the implementation of a sugar-with-sugar (SSB) tax in the city of Boulder, Colorado on July 1, 2017 was presented in 102nd IADR General Assemblywhich was held in conjunction with the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research and the 48th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, March 13-16, 2024, in New Orleans, LA, MA.
The abstract, “Minor Restorations Decreased After Implementation of Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax,” was presented during the “Oral Health Policies and Interventions” Oral Session held on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 3:15 p.m. Central Standard Time (UTC -6).
The study, by Eric Tranby of the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, Boston, MA, US, analyzed dental claims data from 2016-2023 for Colorado residents living in and outside the city of Boulder who received minor restorative care during the study period. Poisson models examined the total number of teeth and tooth surfaces per patient receiving minor restorations before and after the tax was applied.
Difference-in-difference analyzes examined the monthly mean number of teeth restored between the two regions after the tax was applied.
The expected (mean) number of dental surfaces and teeth with minor restorations per patient was 0.42 (ie, 58% lower) and 0.63 (ie, 37% lower), respectively, in the pre-tax period compared to the carry-over period both in the Boulder metro area and outside of Boulder.
After the tax was implemented, the monthly mean number of surfaces with minor restorations decreased by 0.83 (ie, 17% lower) in metro Boulder compared to the outer Boulder area, while the monthly mean number of teeth restored decreased by 0. 27 (ie 73% lower).
The monthly average of secondary restorations in metro Boulder decreased after the implementation of the SSB tax compared to areas outside of Boulder, suggesting that the tax had oral health benefits. Similar analysis done for other counties and states that implemented the SSB did not find these same oral health benefits, suggesting that the results depended, in part, on how the tax was imposed.
Provided by the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research
Reference: Minor dental restorations found to decrease after implementation of tax on sugary drinks (2024 March 19) Retrieved March 20, 2024 from
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